Name: Rain O'Cleary
E-mail: rain @ meianou.com
Title: Tall and Strong
Rating:PG
Disclaimer: Thunderbirds belongs to Gerry Anderson, Carlton Entertainment and possibly other people as well. I do not claim that any of the characters or other related materials are mine.
Archive: Ask me first, thank you.
Feedback: Please send all relevant feedback to the address stated above.
Important notes: None, but there are some 'Author's Notes' at the end.
~*~*~
Tall and strong, that was how John had always seen Scott. Nine year old Scott always seemed to loom over four year old John. In truth, John had been quite frightened of his elder brother when they were younger.
Virgil wasn't as tall as Scott, but he was twice as mean. He would laugh and point at the drawings of stars and planets scrawled by a child's hand in crayon on old paper. Five-year old John would cry when his elder brother taunted in the same way rude children taunted animals in the zoo.
John never liked zoos. He thought it was sad when the animals paced back and forth, going mad because of their forced incarceration. This, unfortunately, only led to more jeering and taunting. Virgil would make fun of John for saying he 'felt sorry' for the animals.
Two animals John didn't feel sorry for were Gordon and Alan. They would scream and shout like demented monkeys; climbing on furniture, knocking over vases and tearing lumps out of thirteen year old John whenever they could. They called him a coward for not fighting back.
At first, John argued with them. He wasn't a coward; he was a pacifist. Of course, being hyperactive pre-teens, Gordon and Alan had no time for explanations or defences. John was a coward because they said he was a coward, end of story.
Of course, John wasn't a coward. He faced opposition from nearly all sides every day. Luckily, Scott and Virgil, having matured over the years, had ceased to be a source of torment for the fifteen year old. Scott no longer loomed over John, and John found that when their identical sets of blue eyes met, he was no longer frightened of his elder brother.
John wasn't frightened of much when he was younger. He was never subjected to labelling in high school, like the Goths or Nerds or Jocks; he didn't fit into any category. With no label, he had no enemies. With no label, he had no friends. He had no people to relate to.
Friends were something John was in dire need of, and oddly, Virgil came through for him every time. The taunting was long forgotten, and punches were exchanged for a shoulder to cry on and arms to hold him when he got so low his body refused to work any longer.
As an adult, John often longed for those strong arms to hold him again when he was scared. The problem was he only ever got scared when his brothers were in danger, and the arms were millions of miles away. He drew strength from his elder brothers' examples, and became a source of comfort for those around him.
Strength; he needed to be strong. He drew himself up impossibly high, set his face in an amiable expression and offered his services to those in need. Tall and strong, that's what he was. Twenty-five year old John needed to be tall and strong.
~*~*~
Author's Notes: Confused? I am. I have no idea where this came from. This little ficlet bunny bit me in the ass and I couldn't get rid of it until I had written this. It doesn't even make sense to me, but I felt and overwhelming urge to publish. Feel free to flame me, it's all I deserve.
E-mail: rain @ meianou.com
Title: Tall and Strong
Rating:PG
Disclaimer: Thunderbirds belongs to Gerry Anderson, Carlton Entertainment and possibly other people as well. I do not claim that any of the characters or other related materials are mine.
Archive: Ask me first, thank you.
Feedback: Please send all relevant feedback to the address stated above.
Important notes: None, but there are some 'Author's Notes' at the end.
Virgil wasn't as tall as Scott, but he was twice as mean. He would laugh and point at the drawings of stars and planets scrawled by a child's hand in crayon on old paper. Five-year old John would cry when his elder brother taunted in the same way rude children taunted animals in the zoo.
John never liked zoos. He thought it was sad when the animals paced back and forth, going mad because of their forced incarceration. This, unfortunately, only led to more jeering and taunting. Virgil would make fun of John for saying he 'felt sorry' for the animals.
Two animals John didn't feel sorry for were Gordon and Alan. They would scream and shout like demented monkeys; climbing on furniture, knocking over vases and tearing lumps out of thirteen year old John whenever they could. They called him a coward for not fighting back.
At first, John argued with them. He wasn't a coward; he was a pacifist. Of course, being hyperactive pre-teens, Gordon and Alan had no time for explanations or defences. John was a coward because they said he was a coward, end of story.
Of course, John wasn't a coward. He faced opposition from nearly all sides every day. Luckily, Scott and Virgil, having matured over the years, had ceased to be a source of torment for the fifteen year old. Scott no longer loomed over John, and John found that when their identical sets of blue eyes met, he was no longer frightened of his elder brother.
John wasn't frightened of much when he was younger. He was never subjected to labelling in high school, like the Goths or Nerds or Jocks; he didn't fit into any category. With no label, he had no enemies. With no label, he had no friends. He had no people to relate to.
Friends were something John was in dire need of, and oddly, Virgil came through for him every time. The taunting was long forgotten, and punches were exchanged for a shoulder to cry on and arms to hold him when he got so low his body refused to work any longer.
As an adult, John often longed for those strong arms to hold him again when he was scared. The problem was he only ever got scared when his brothers were in danger, and the arms were millions of miles away. He drew strength from his elder brothers' examples, and became a source of comfort for those around him.
Strength; he needed to be strong. He drew himself up impossibly high, set his face in an amiable expression and offered his services to those in need. Tall and strong, that's what he was. Twenty-five year old John needed to be tall and strong.